Saved by the Mafia

Mysterious

“Please, Slater!” Maddox begged. “Think about Julie. My boys—“

“Oh, spare me the f*****g pity party, Maddox,” I spat. “You haven’t ever given a s**t about your family. And I don’t give a s**t about them, either.”

I’d found Maddox right where Peter said we would. It was too easy. A sleazy hotel on the south side, full of mostly meth-heads and drug dealers looking to make a sale. It was just like Maddox to hide in the last place I’d look for him. His taste for the finer things in life was well known, and he thought nobody would ever think to check a roach infested motel.

But I’d done this before. Dozens.. hundreds of times. I was welll aquainted with men like Maddox. They cared about very little other than their own satisfaction.

Disgusted, I gestured up at Deadleg, who had Maddox on his knees in front of the ugly green and red quilt that seemed standard in these motels. Seeing what I wanted, he hauled Maddox to his feet.

Maddox wasn’t an unattractive man at first glance, I supposed. He came off as very composed on a normal day. Nice suit. Clean shaven. But today he was sweating bullets— his clothes crumpled and stained from being on the run. His light brown hair was greasy and lackluster, and his brown eyes were full of terror.

Pussy.

“A hundred grand, Maddox,” I said emotionlessly. “You know what happens to people when they don’t pay the debts they owe to my family.”

“Please! I’ll get you the f*****g money, Lucci, I swear it!”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Is that what you were doing here, Maddox? Getting me my money?”

“I have the upmost respect for the Lucci family, Slater. I’ll get you the money—“

Decisions. The good business decision here would be to let him go and find my money. Keep a watchful eye. The good decision for creating fear would be to put a bullet between his eyes.

I didn’t need either one of those. My family had planted of money. We had plenty of fear— but that reputation didn’t come from letting people walk. I closed my eyes and pulled the part of Donovan Lucci that lived inside of me front and center stage.

What I was about to do was cruel. And I f*****g loved it. Maddox was a piece of s**t.

“On your knees,” I said coldly.!

Maddox’s face paled. He was as white as a sheet, and his knees shook, but he made no move to kneel. Deadleg grunted in anger, shoving him down to his knees.

Deadleg had been with my family a very long time. He wore rugged scars on his face and neck from saving my father from a homemade bomb in Italy. He has earned his loyalty from my family the hard way. Lucci’s we’re loyal to very few— he was one of them.

I pulled my gun from my shoulder holster and c****d it, pressing the cool metal against the skin on Maddox’s forehead.

I’d killed more men than I could count. But I could still see it— the way the life would leave his eyes. The way blood would splatter on my hand. If anyone deserved it, Maddox did. Maddox squeezed his eyes shut, mumbling a panicked prayer.

But just killing him wasn’t enough for me.

“I want five hundred grand by Friday,” I told him.

Maddox’s eyes flashed open, his mouth falling open. “Five hundred? Slater, there’s no f*****g way—“

I shoved my pistol harder against his forehead. “Five hundred grand, Maddox. Or else Julie can collect on your life insurance policy.”

“Okay, okay!” He conceded. “I guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll find it, Lucci. Just let me go.” His face was turning green, like he might throw up.

I slowly tucked my gun away. “You had a choice. You could have told me to shoot you and done something nice for your wife and kids. They’d be better off with a life insurance check than they would be with you breathing. But, as usual, you’re a selfish piece of s**t, Maddox.”

“If you try to run from me,” I met his eyes. “I’ll have Deadleg shoot out your f*****g kneecaps and drag you back to Lucci manor.. to be very f*****g clear.”

Maddox’s sweaty, pale face was terrified. He nodded at me.

“You are free to go,” I told him. “But I’m always ducking watching, Maddox. Go get my f*****g money before I change my mind.”

Deadleg watched as Maddox scurried out of the room, falling into the window unit on the way out.

“You know he can’t come up with that kind of cash.” Deadleg stated calmly.

“I know.”

“You want to watch him squirm.” Deadleg stated.

I met his eyes. “Did I give him hope for an impossible task so he can spend the next few days trying to desperately win me over before I kill him anyway? Yes.”

Deadleg’s eyes were unreadable as they met mine. “You are your father’s son, Slater.”

I raised an eyebrow at him. “You say that like it concerns you, Deadleg.”

“It doesn’t concern me, kid,” he grumbled. “It saddens me.”

I looked away from Deadleg. I knew what he was thinking. Donovan Lucci had successfully created the heir to the Lucci fortune, heir to the Italian mafia. He had created a younger version of himself to take his place. Ruthless, cunning.. I knew I was all of those things. I just didn’t give a s**t.

A pair of golden eyes flashed through my mind, and I roughly shook my head, pinching my eyes shut. “God damn it,” I spat out through gritted teeth.

Why the f**k couldn’t I get Evelyn Adair out of my head? And why was I sitting here, torturing myself for being who I was raised to be, because of a girl I’d met twice? Maybe I should just sleep with her and I’d get over it.

Or you’ll be hooked even worse, my thoughts crept up on me. I just wanted to see her one more time. Make sure she was safe from her sorry excuse of a father. Or.. that’s what I told myself, anyway.

“Peter,” I called out into the hallway.

“Yeah?” He poked his head around the doorframe.

“Do me a favor. Look into someone for me.”

He looked curious. “You got a name, boss?”

“Evelyn Adair. I’ll text you the address I have for her. Find out who her father is. And find out everything you can about that piece of shit.”

Peter nodded. “Can I ask who Evelyn is?”

I lit up a cigarette, rubbing my bruised knuckles across my chin.

“No,” I told him, exhaling. “No, you can’t.”